Equities on both sides of the Atlantic registered record highs on Wednesday, as a slowdown in US inflation prompted stocks to move higher as Federal Reserve interest rate cut hopes strengthened. Aside from the US data, there was a slew of M&A developments threatening to steal some of the spotlight in London. The owner of the Royal Mail backed a possible bid, while Wood Group said no to a suitor...

Experian and Imperial Brands pushed the FTSE 100 to an all-time high on Wednesday morning, with London stocks up at midday ahead of this afternoon's US consumer price reading. The FTSE 100 index was up 21.63 points, 0.3%, at 8,449.76. The FTSE 100 hit a new record of 8,474.41 earlier. The FTSE 250 was up 86.51 points, 0.4%, at 20,705.03, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.28 of a point at 790.01. T...

Global data services specialist Experian (EXPN) notched-up a new high and led the FTSE gainers after revealing full year revenue growth at the top end of expectations and a strong outlook. The shares jumped 7% to £37.75 taking gains over the last 12-months to 35%, handsomely outperforming the blue-chip FTSE 100 return of 9%. Interestingly, chief executive Brian Cassin talked up rising margins...

Shares in Imperial Brands (IMB) were up more than 4% to £19.53 in morning trading despite the tobacco and next-generation product maker reporting a 2.3% fall in first half revenue to £15.06 billion. Investors may have been cheered by the firm's ability to raise tobacco prices and the increase in NGP (next-generation product) revenue for the six months to March. GROWING MARKET SHARE Three out...

1H trading above expectations US infrastructure a big driver Shares top their decade-old high Specialist geotechnical contractor Keller Group (KLR) sparked a stampede to buy its shares after it published an upbeat trading statement ahead of today's AGM (annual general meeting). The stock price leapt 178p or 15.7% to a new all-time high of £13.14, surpassing the previous high struck more than...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE By Melissa Gallagher, Head of Investment Trusts, BlackRock ?During tough economic conditions, the pie gets smaller. If customers don't have a compelling reason to buy a product, they won't.? While the outlook for this year's ISA season is less grim than it was 12 months ago, there are still headwinds for markets in the year ahead. The UK slipped into recession...

Slowing demand for luxury goods continues to impact Burberry (BRBY), whose shares remain firmly out of fashion with investors and cheapened 2.8% to £11.55 on the release of downbeat full-year results. And with the share price having more than halved over the past 12 months, Burberry is now 'a screaming takeover target for someone who is able to look beyond current problems and recognise the tr...

London Stocks started strong on Wednesday, with strong results from Experian offsetting a poor performance at Burberry, as investors await the afternoon's US consumer price index reading. Amongst individual stocks, Experian jumped as shareholders celebrated higher revenue and profit. Burberry fell, however, as it warned of a tough start to its new financial year. The FTSE 100 index opened up 40...

The FTSE 100 ended higher in London, with hope of UK interest rate cuts in the summer picking up, while US stocks were largely higher despite an inflation caution from the Federal Reserve chair. Investors also had a trade war worries to contend with, as the US slapped tariffs on billions worth of Chinese imports, including in the electric vehicle and chip spaces. The FTSE 100 index rose 13.14 p...

Stocks in London were largely flat at midday on Tuesday, on the back of boosts at Burberry and Vodafone, as hopes for a summer interest rate cut were bolstered by supportive comments from the Bank of England's top economist. The FTSE 100 index was up 5.85 points, 0.1%, at 8,420.89. The FTSE 250 was up 14.46 points, 0.1%, at 20,574.80, and the AIM All-Share was little changed at 786.60. The Cboe...

Pubs group Marston's (MARS) revealed continued outperformance of the wider market with like-for-like sales up 7.3% in the first half and underlying pub operating profit 22% higher at £52.7 million. The shares have performed strongly over the last week ahead of the results, inviting some profit taking today with a fall of 4% to 32.1p, but that still leaves them around 13% higher over the period...

New broom management get one chance to sweep away previous aspirations and problems and reset market expectations. Chief executive Margherita Della Valle, appointed to the top Job at Vodafone (VOD) just over a year ago, has now laid out the script of her final act; rebasing the dividend. The shareholder payout for full year 2024 (to 31 Mar) was left untouched at €0.09, but investors will get...

Shares in On The Beach (OTB) fell as much as 9% to 151p in morning trading as the online package holiday provider's first-half results showed it is feeling the pressure from the cost-of-living crisis and competition on the UK High Street. It was not all 'doom and gloom' however, as the beach holiday retailer reported an 11% increase in group revenue to £80.8 million for the six months to 31 Ma...